WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) British and Irish Lions coach Warren Gatland says he will avoid the mistakes of predecessor and compatriot Graham Henry by keeping an open mind on selection ahead of the three-test series against the All Blacks.
New Zealand-born Gatland told a news conference in Auckland on Thursday that Henry ”lost half of the team on day one” when he coached the 2001 Lions in Australia by indicating at the start of the tour that he had already chosen his test team.
Gatland said he would give every player in his 41-man squad the chance to stake a claim to test selection in the six matches of the tour which precede the first test against New Zealand on June 24.